


Layer Cake

by FutureHeart



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Ficlet Collection, My First AO3 Post, One Shot Collection, Slice of Life, everyone loves akira
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:49:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19967557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FutureHeart/pseuds/FutureHeart
Summary: Studies say it takes 200 hours or more of time spent together for two people to become best friends. Luckily, a year is more than enough time for the Phantom Thieves.AKA some ficlets / slice of life into the Phantom Thieves, especially Akira Kurusu(Shumako will appear in hopefully the next chapter )





	Layer Cake

**Author's Note:**

> Oh jeez, this is my first work on ao3. I'll try my best, hope you enjoy :)
> 
> Sweet ~ In which Akira loves to spoil his friends.

Akira absolutely loved to spoil his friends, but that's a fact he'd never admit to. Especially not now, leaning on the glass at a rest stop in Mementos. 

He let a smile creep up onto his face as he watched his friends basically drool over all the new, shiny, and objectively awesome equipment he had bought them. Haru beamed at her new crescent axe, while Makoto seemed mesmerized by the hell knuckles on her hands.

Ryuji, on the other hand, was very vocal with his excitement, "This is so sick! I can't wait to slam this right into a shadow's face!" He couldn't help but demonstrate by attempting to swing his battle hammer in the cramped space, almost hitting Ann in the face, much to her disliking. Yusuke seemed very happy as her stared at his antique sword. 

"There are few words to describe how I feel in this moment. How does one capture my gratefulness for this unexpected gift, as joyous as it makes me?" He carefully lowed it back into the sheath, "Where did you get the money to pay for all of this, Joker?" His question was backed up by the nods of his teammates.

Haru added, "Indeed. It's not that we don't appreciate it, but how were you able to do this for us?"

Akira twisted and twirled his knife around his fingers to occupy himself as he watched them. He hoped they didn't ask, to be honest. "Well, after fighting so many shadows, the amount of money we've gotten from it is kind of grotesque. Plus, all the smaller treasures we find in Palaces kind of pile up, and I can sell it for a lot at the airsoft shop in Shibuya". Those weren't lies. They were just true statements fueled by the fact he just enjoyed giving them stuff.

Makoto just smiled at him; she had already suspected that was the case. "At least tell us you got something for yourself as well".

He stopped the movement of his knife and tried to reassure her, "This knife is new,"

~~~

Luckily, Akira didn't have to wait much longer for another opportunity to spoil his friends presented itself.

The quiet conversations filling the school hallways was disturbed by the unnecessarily loud voice of Ryuji, who was descending the stairs with Akira. "This new game came out last weekend, it looks so awesome! It's called Master Swordsman; I think it's based off a book!" The blonde radiated excitement as he threw around hand gestures to further his point, "I just can't pay for it right now, and there's no way I'm asking my mom to buy it." He abruptly stopped for a moment before he asked "Wait, you finally got a game console, didn't you?"  
Akira nodded, and watched Ryuji's smile widen even more.

"That means we'll totally have to play it together! Everybody online says it's super good, the cover art looks epic, too! Let me show you" The two of them stopped in order to let Ryuji dig his phone out of his pocket. After typing furiously and scanning a few pictures, his phone found it's way in right in front of Akira's face.

The device depicted a picture of a young man, wielding an extravagant sword in a defensive position in front of a war-torn background. The man's face was intense and determined but covered in harsh-looking cuts and bruises. A sly font presented the title and producers at the top and bottom of the screen.  
Of course, Akira thought it looked like a great game, but he doubted it would surpass the sheer greatness of seeing Ryuji this excited. "Can't wait to play it" He said, and then internally decided that he would definitely be getting that game for Ryuji.

"I just hate the fact that I'll probably have to get a part-time job to pay for it. So uncool..." The blonde sighed, hanging his head low. Akira tried to reassure him.

"It's not too bad if you find a job you like. I really like working at the Crossroads Bar in Shinjuku, there's so many interesting people to meet there." He smiled, remembering the gloomy woman he was able to cheer up there the previous night. "It really has a lovely atmosphere".

"Well, when you put it that way," Ryuji thought out loud, "You're totally right. As always. You think there's any kind of job open at the gym? I'd make a great trainer, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." The conversation quickly trailed off as the duo approached the school gate, where they would have to go their separate ways. Before they departed, Akira turned to face his friend, "I wouldn't get too hasty though. Anything could happen, maybe a sale will pop up soon". 

If Ryuji got the hint, he didn't show it. "Maybe! Well, I'll see ya tomorrow, then!" He flashed one more grin before he turned around and left.

Akira only made it half-way through the short walk to the station before his phone buzzed. He tried to see who the message was from, but the sun stopped him by making the whole screen glow white. He hurried along into the dense, but darker scenery of the subway,  
The raven-haired boy quickly slinked past people who were trying to get home. His phone buzzed two more times. "I know, I know, I know..." Akira muttered quietly before he entered a much thinner part of the crowd. An empty spot further along in the cement hallway beckoned to him.

Finally, he backed up against the cold wall and looked at the message, which was from Futaba.

>> Futaba: School's over, let's hang out! I was thinking we should go to Big Bang Burger.  
>> Futaba: Because going to more public places will definitely get me more experience points!  
>> Futaba: But it's also because I'm hungry

Glad to see the hacker wanting to get out and better herself, he started texting back a response. He figured if nobody else had invited him to hang out yet, nobody would anytime soon.  
<< Akira: Sure, how about I meet you there?  
>> Futaba: I'll be waiting outside for you!  
He put his phone back into his pocket and quickly slipped back into the mass of people.

~ ~ ~

"Over here! Hurry up, I've been waiting for you for eons, come on!" The brightly haired girl waved at Akira. She watched him twist around angry-looking businessmen and distracted students who didn't move for him without stumbling. He raised his eyebrows as he approached her.

"Eons, huh? We texted twenty minutes ago, just check your phone," He adjusted the school bag on his shoulder "Besides, I'm here now. Let's head in". Akira walked ahead and held open the door. He watched Futaba take her time walking through the entrance, admiring the neon lights that lined the hall, even though they didn't blink very vibrantly in the daylight. A voice from inside the establishment caught his attention, though.

"Welcome back, Akira! I haven't seen you in a while." The greeting had come from the same brown-haired girl that Akira always saw working the register when he came here. Futaba caught up with the boy and stepped into the restaurant, letting Akira close the door behind them. "You've brought a friend, too! How nice, what are you here for today?" The employee's voice spoke with a sort of kindness that felt genuine and not trained for customer service.

The Shujin student met her with a smile, "Nice to see you again. This is Futaba, by the way. She's basically family," He turned his gaze to the girl in question and quietly asked her, "Do you know what you want?"

Out of the blue, a smirk appeared on Futaba's face. She pushed her glasses up with two fingers, confidence evident even without a light source to make her glasses flare. "You really think I'd invite you here with me and not do my research first? I'm here for the moon burger!" She exclaimed a little louder than she should have. A few scattered seated customers looked their way, but Futaba loved how prepared she sounded. She looked up happily at her taller companion, "How about you?" Akira couldn't help but chuckle, which only confused the genius hacker. "What?"

The boy shook his head. "Nothing, I'll just split some fries with you," He stepped up to the counter and reached into his pockets for his wallet. "Go ahead and grab us a seat, I'll find you in a second". Futaba nodded and shuffled away into the seating area, the scuffing of her boots hanging in the air. Right then, a comment caught Akira's full attention.

"She seems nice," The employee observed. "But how come you're paying when she's the one who invited you?" It was obvious it wasn't an accusation, but an actual question.

Akira bit his lip. It was hard to say exactly. Both simple and detailed reasons ran through his head, like the fact that he was older, and her leader, even if he couldn't really mention that. He and Futaba never even talked about who would pay, it was really already decided as soon as she invited him, not that he minded at all. Realistically, Futaba likely didn't have the money to pay for it, he usually paid for other's stuff anyway. He couldn't help but think about how proud he was of Futaba, just a few months ago she wouldn't leave the house or simply face the strangers that eventually stole her heart. How could he ask her to pay for food when he was already glad that she was actively going outside?

"Well I've got more than enough money to spare, so why not?" Once again Akira said a statement that wasn't a lie. Just a true statement fueled by the fact that he liked to do stuff for his friends.

She kept smiling as she broke the eye contact and looked back down at the register. "You're pretty selfless, you know that, right?" Change rattled during the transfer from the counter to her hand. "I may not know you that well, but I can tell. I can't imagine how much you spoil your friends." She ended, handing Akira his change.

Akira just rolled his eyes, "No way, I do not spoil my friends. Generous, maybe. But I don't spoil them," He turned away, "It was nice seeing you".

As he started walking towards the dining area to find Futaba, he heard a final comment behind him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Bye, Akira!" He joined his companion at a tall, two-seated table by the window.

For a short while, light-hearted conversation filled the time, mostly driven by Futaba recalling things she had done that day. The soft orange color of later-day sunlight shifted over the two of them achingly slow. It made Futaba's hair look more fiery than usual while she happily babbled about new manga and technical computer terms that all sounded alike. She only stopped to look expectantly at every single order that came out and returned once realizing it wasn't for them.

Their table was significantly quieter once their food finally came, due to the girl changing her primary objective to shoving food in her mouth, starting with the fries. Akira ran a hand through his hair. "Try not to choke, Futaba. Your food's not leaving, no need to inhale it" He urged her, taking some fries for himself. He took a moment to wonder how she could be eating like that when the good was still quite hot.

The establishment was quite visibly getting busier. Akira watched families and friends filling up the nearby tables Although, the hacker seemed unfazed, either too distracted by eating or really didn't mind that atmosphere growing louder.  
A vibration just barely shook the table, originating from Akira's phone. His hand hovered over the device for a second while he watched to make sure Futaba slowed down a but, which she did. Akira popped a fry in his mouth and looked at his phone to see several messages pop up on the screen, one after another.

>> Yusuke: A local gallery is having a showing this weekend, and I am very much hoping to submit a piece. It would seem I am lacking some inspiration.  
>> Yusuke: I was thinking perhaps a new medium would do the trick, I've been quite interested in experimenting with watercolor. Such pleasant imagery it paints...  
>> Yusuke: Unfortunately, the Arteza watercolor paints I was looking at don't go on sale until the week after,  
>> Yusuke: My apologies, I seem to have gotten lost in my thoughts. Would you like to accompany me tomorrow? You never fail to help me with my artistic endeavors.

It was already too late, Yusuke had said enough to make Akira make an internal decision for the second time today. If spending some money was the price Akira had to pay to help the artist follow his passion, then so be it. He would be getting those paints fir Yusuke.

<< Akira: Of course, I'll meet you at the underground walkway after school?  
>> Yusuke: I'll be looking forward to it.

When Akira set his phone down, the first thing he saw was the platter of food that was now utterly obliterated. Somehow no crumbs were left despite Futaba slowing down eating. Then he looked up and saw the extremely nervous look on her face. As soon as she finished, she realized how chaotic the environment had become.

His heart nearly broke when Futaba frowned and asked, "Can we get out of here?" He quickly tried to reassure her with a signature smile.

"Sure thing. it was getting stuffy in here anyway".

So, they left. The air had cooled and the lights in the entrance were just a little brighter. No longer shielded by the walls and windows, noises of the city filled their ears. Futaba gripped her leader's sleeve with a hand while they strolled out into the street. Bickering and laughing and just plain talking filled the air. The hacker held on tight to the trickster when a rush of people almost separated them. It was mostly Akira gently pulling Futaba behind him, slowly making their way back to the subway station that was already in view.

Although, the journey home then got delayed when Futaba turned the tables. Akira only heard a gasp and a quick "Akira, look!" before being startled by finding himself essentially being dragged straight to the side with surprising strength.  
Whether it was because he was dumbfounded or really didn't care, Akira let himself be dragged through the street for a few moments. All he could do was watch the back of the hacker's green jacket flap behind her, watch her walk with determination towards an unknown source.

A few more seconds passed before Futaba let go, followed by a soft thud. Akira stood up straight. Futaba had brought them in front of a store and proceeded to smoosh her face against the display case window. Reasons still unknown.

The Shujin student took a step back and examined the large display case. Behind the glass where Futaba placed herself was a vast number of stuffed animals, and she was staring intently at a big, fuzzy, white bunny plush right on the center shelf. He couldn't help but place a hand on her shoulder and tell her, "You might want to back up a tad. Most store owners don't like people touching the glass".  
The touch knocked Futaba out of her daze, and she hopped back from the glass window, but she was still fixated on the plushie. Akira looked between the bunny and Futaba, "You want the bunny plush?" 

She looked up at him and smiled, her face filled with that innocent joy that he sees all the time. "Of course! Just look at him, he's so fuzzy and adorable and amazing! It feels like I've found a rare item," Akira smiled just as much while she curled closer into her jacket and continued rambling on about the plush.  
"He'll live right on my desk and I'll call him Hinata and-" She abruptly stopped. A breeze swept her hair over her shoulders. Her smile faltered, "Too bad I can't get him. I've obviously got no money, and I doubt Sojiro would get him for me. He'd probably say I've got plenty at home..."

And then Akira did it a third time.

~ ~ ~ 

The day after the next was pretty great for quite a few people. "Oh Futaba! You're here, great. Hold on one second". As soon as Akira had seen her sitting at the counter, he quickly retracted back upstairs, the steps creaking underneath him. It was still early morning, and the still and quiet weather matched the atmosphere of Leblanc. The owner of the café looked down at the coffee cup he was cleaning and grinned while Futaba paused eating her breakfast.

The navigator in question was clearly confused. She cast Sojiro an accusing look, "Do you know what this is about?" But the man said nothing and kept wiping down glasses. "Fine, be like that" She pouted. She pushed her plate of curry away and slid off the barstool to wait for Akira to return.

When he came back, Futaba's whole demeanor instantly lit up. She could barely see the student because in his arms was the huge bunny plushie she had seen the day before the last.

"Hinata!" She squealed. Akira held out the plush just in time for Futaba to throw herself at it, engulfing the stuffed animal in her arms. She held it close and spin around in her moment of surprise and happiness. "It's Hinata! I thought I'd never see him again, thank you so much Akira! I love him so much!"

Akira and Sojiro made eye contact. The café owner looked satisfied, almost relieved; his eyes were soft with emotion, a good one at that. On Akira's face was a smirk, and he only shrugged before looking back towards Futaba.

She slowly turned in one more circle before stopping, swaying on her feet. She looked utterly adorable with the bunny plush in her arms. "How come you got him for me?" She panted the question.

"Does it really matter?" He shot back. Without waiting for an answer, he excused himself. "I'll be going, have to get to school and all,"

~ 

When Akira held out the game case, Ryuji's jaw dropped. The boys were both hanging around near the vending machines in between classes per usual, and now they were both at a standstill in which Akira had the game in hand and Ryuji looked like his eyes were about to pop out.

"This is..." Ryuji gawked, struggling to speak. "This is Master Swordsman! Where did you get this?" He looked sincerely addled, staring at his friend without a clue. The other boy simply cocked his head to the side and answered,

"I bought it? If it matters, I got it at Akihabara." He said bluntly, and shoved the game a little closer to Ryuji, gesturing for him to take it.

The blonde backed up. "Wait, wait, wait," He shook his hands in front of him, his confusion only growing. It frustrated him slightly to look at Akira's face and see how calm he was when he himself couldn't understand the situation. He stumbled over a few words before finally asking, "You got this, for me?"

"Sure did"

Ryuji slowly took the game from Akira's hands. He looked intently at the cover. "Why'd you do that?"

The trickster put his hand in his pockets, "I can't give my best friend a gift he really wanted?" he replied as cool as ever, making a small attempt to lighten the mood. So, it make Akira happier than ever to see Ryuji look back up at him and with a huge smile and bright eyes say,

"Thanks!" He took the liberty of at least trying to shove the game into his schoolbag. As he struggled to get it to fit in the bag along with his school supplies, he continued "This is so awesome, we'll have to play this weekend! I promise I won't start without you, I'll even let you be player one! How's that sound?"

As vulgar as Ryuji could be, there was something utterly endearing about how happy he was for receiving the game he wanted so bad. He lacked the innocence that made Futaba's reaction so cute, but knowing how low Ryuji could still get made his happiness all the more worth it. He continued to wrestle with his bag, now on the ground as Akira watched affectionately.

"Sounds great," Akira shook his head before kneeling to join Ryuji on the floor. "We have to get to class soon, you can't possibly be struggling this much with putting a flat box in your bag".

~ 

Running slightly late due to the hundreds of other students also trying to leave school, Akira rushed through the subway. He knew where Yusuke would be standing, but it was difficult to navigate the space between strangers. Once he caught sight of the artist, Akira planted his feet on the ground and battled his way towards him.

Yusuke simply stared into the mass of people, a weird mix of people-watching, being lost in thought, and waiting for Akira. He was brought back to reality when he heard the raven-haired boy's voice greet him, "Hey, Yusuke".

The taller boy turned to face Akira, who had now stopped beside him. "Hello again, how are you doing today?" Yusuke asked, a polite elegance lacing his tone.

"You know what? Today's been pretty awesome." Akira answered, satisfied with how the day had gone so far.

"That's good to hear," Yusuke nodded, "Shall we get out of here? I was debating either going to Ueno or Jinbocho, what do you think?"

Instead of answering his question, Akira held up a bag with a familiar label that Yusuke had not noticed him holding. "Actually, before we go, I have something to give you." Yusuke did however notice a glint in his eye, one unlike the mischievous glint they see in the Metaverse.

Though took the bag without hesitation, he was visibly taken aback when he pulled out a box of Arteza watercolor paints. Coincidentally, the one box he was specifically hoping to get. "Akira... Thank you." Although it was the most straightforward response he had gotten, Akira wasn't the world's biggest fan of getting serious. He put a hand over his neck and quickly replied,

"Of course! You mentioned it when we were texting the other day and I figured, I don't know, it'd help you with your inspiration drought?" Yusuke's response was not something Akira was expecting.

"You truly are selfless." He said, effectively calling Akira out. It didn't help that Yusuke stared right into his eyes as he said it. Even though Akira knew perfectly well he was right, he wasn't quite prepared to be called that word. Selfless. Not a bad word at all, just so on-point it felt accusing.

"I told you before," Akira waved him off, "I've got the money and time to spare, plus you guys deserve it! Society can't reform itself you know." Even with his charming smile, Yusuke shook his head, still unconvinced.

"Just because an action isn't an inconvenience to you doesn't mean it's not selfless."

And this marked a rare occasion in which Akira was so caught off guard he couldn't think of a single thing to say. Fortunately, he didn't have to say anything. Yusuke slipped the paints back into the bag and looked happily at him.

"It does not matter anyway. You are selfless and still need to decide whether we go to Ueno or Jinbocho".

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, this took me over a month to make! I had to rewrite a lot of it and fix stuff up constantly, but, I think I'm happy with how this came out!
> 
> So, I'm planning on doing maybe 5 of these? I may have an idea for the next chapter, but if you have any sweet and domestic slice of life ideas, please comment them! Stay cool :)
> 
> (Also, I know you might be thinking I overlooked things like Morgana coming to school with Akira, I promise I didn't forget! He will likely appear in another chapter.)


End file.
